Chapter 17
There was nothing she could do about it.
In truth, nothing mattered to her except anything connected to the God of War.
That was the only reason she had come to Korea in the first place.
Ah.
Then, all at once, a forgotten fact surfaced in her mind.
A human who would, pointlessly, turn out to be a nuisance.
Hmm.
The mad dog in China.
That lunatic had put Hale Irene in a foul mood.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
It was time for people to begin moving, for the stillness to break one piece at a time.
At such a time, in Beijing, China, there stood a large building.
On the very top floor of the company tower known as Yongsah Castle.
It was a space even the company’s own people could not enter lightly.
Without the permission of the master of this place, the owner of that existence, no one could ever set foot inside.
And there, a young man.
Lin Xiao, China’s S-class superhuman, was kneeling with his head bowed low.
“Hmm.”
What he was looking at was someone seated beyond the shadows in the room, legs crossed in a single chair.
The eyes were an unusual shade of violet, and because of that, the man gave off a distinctly alien air.
“So.”
The man with the purple eyes spoke to Lin Xiao.
“You met that God of War yourself, did you?”
At the man’s words, Lin Xiao flinched.
Then, without lifting his head, he kept nodding over and over.
“...Yes.”
At the answer, the violet eyes narrowed into crescents. It was a smile.
“You met him, all right—”
Flap. The man lightly shook the documents in his hand.
“—but what’s with this one hundred percent contribution?”
“... .”
“Lin Xiao.”
“Yes... .”
“Lin Xiao.”
“Yes, bro—”
“You useless piece of trash.”
“...!”
Rumble—!
As though the air itself had gained weight, something immense pressed down on Lin Xiao’s shoulders. It was pressure far beyond what you could explain as a boulder or a mountain.
“Urk... ngh... ”
“If you’re going to smear my face in the mud, at least have the decency to do it properly. How do you manage to make such embarrassing messes? Look at this.”
Thud.
The man tossed the paper he had been holding down in front of Lin Xiao. Several article headlines were printed there.
“China’s S-class superhuman, Lin Xiao. Powerless before the God of War’s strength... .”
“...Ugh... .”
“Answer me, Lin Xiao. Did you let your guard down?”
“Th-that... .”
“Or was it... that damned pride of the Central Plains again? Did you lose your temper over something as stupid as that?”
“... .”
“Ah, Lin Xiao. I told you, didn’t I?”
Tap, tap.
The man tapped the armrest of his chair as he continued.
“The reincarnations of the martial world don’t only exist in China. I told you clearly that if someone isn’t born in China, it doesn’t make them a traitor or anything of the sort.”
“...But... ”
“What matters is strength. Whether the God of War is Chinese or not is irrelevant.”
The man clicked his tongue, holding back a sigh.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk... I already went to great lengths to make sure that old chairman from Korea would lose a bit of his nerve. And now this is going to make things troublesome.”
That slippery old fox. Even while playing with him, the man had felt good about it.
“You’ve ruined my mood completely. How are you planning to make this up to me?”
“...I’m sorry... I’m sorry... .”
“No. Apologies won’t do.”
Creak.
The man rose from the chair. At that sight, Lin Xiao’s heart dropped.
“It’s sincerity, not apologies, that matters. Don’t you think?”
“Br-brother... Brother, please... ”
“Let’s make it one arm. That should be enough to make up for the humiliation I’ve suffered.”
Chills ran over him. It was a sensation that prickled through his skull. The man meant it.
“Should I rip it off?”
He was seriously going to tear off his arm.
At the same time, the man’s chilling hand reached for Lin Xiao’s left arm. Feeling that, Lin Xiao shouted in panic.
“Th-the God of War...! The God of War used power similar to yours, brother!”
He stopped.
The man froze in place.
“What did you say?”
“It’s certain... The God of War... what he used was martial arts... and those martial arts were power similar to yours, brother.”
Similar. He couldn’t quite bring himself to say identical. It was too different for that.
“M-maybe... that God of War is the one you’ve been looking for, brother.”
“...Hmm.”
At that, the man put some distance between himself and Lin Xiao.
“Really?”
“...Yes, really.”
“Is that so... ”
Hahahahaha.
The man let out a low laugh. Hearing it, Lin Xiao barely held back a breath of relief.
And then, in the next instant—
Smack—!
“Kuhk!”
Bang—!
Lin Xiao’s jaw flew upward from the blow and his body slammed into the wall.
Dust trickled down as the man looked at him and said, “I’ll let this one slide since you brought me information. Ah, can you even hear me?”
He looked as though he had already lost consciousness. Watching that, the man stepped backward and sat down again in the chair.
“Similar power, huh...”
Interest stirred in him. Could it really be, just as Lin Xiao had said, the one he had been seeking?
As the man’s curiosity began to boil, the phone on his desk rang.
Trrrriiing—!
Wiping Lin Xiao’s blood from his hand, the man answered.
“You called at the perfect time. Come upstairs and clear out the trash— hmm?”
He stopped mid-sentence, his brow furrowing.
“What? That rude bitch? Hah?”
After hearing everything, the man broke into laughter.
“Hahahahahaha!”
His booming laughter filled the room.
“Look at this? The woman who never moved no matter what crap got stuck to her ass... is going to Korea?”
The corners of his mouth rose toward the sky.
“Interesting.”
Apparently—
“this isn’t a coincidence, is it?”
There must be something on that tiny little patch of land.
His thoughts finished, the man’s tongue slid out like a snake’s.
“I’m going to Korea. Tell her the reason is to answer the conversation I had with the chairman.”
When he finished speaking, the man tightened his grip.
Crunch—! The phone in his hand was crushed to pieces.
“Wait for me.”
That blond little brat with no manners.
Thinking of that infuriating face, the man—
China’s only SS-class superhuman—
Wei Ajun smiled.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Three days had passed since I’d been abruptly discharged from the hospital. More or less, the storm had moved on.
There were far more articles than before. Every last one of them was about the God of War.
Even though several days had already passed since the gate closed, it was still the same.
The excitement hadn’t faded at all. The birth of a new power had stirred people up that much.
Thanks to that—
—my own articles vanished.
The talk about Lee Jinwoo, the young hero of Yeouido, had largely quieted down by then.
Whether I should call that fortunate or not was hard to say.
“Lee Jinwoo-ssi.”
At the sound of my name, I looked to the side.
“Yes.”
Jeon Yuseon was there.
“Aren’t you nervous?”
“Nervous? Hmm... not especially.”
I answered with an awkward smile, and Jeon Yuseon nodded.
“I felt it last time as well, but you must have a broad spirit.”
“No... I just don’t really feel it yet.”
I was riding in a car provided by the Association, heading toward the center of Seoul. And not just that.
For my knight induction ceremony.
The knight post I’d been given after that discussion with the chairman last time.
I was being parachuted straight in.
They said they’d be awarding me a plaque or something like that, for the hero of Yeouido.
The schedule is really fast.
The text came right after my discharge. The ceremony would be held three days later.
Hmm.
I turned my gaze out the window.
The Association still hadn’t said anything about the man who had been watching me.
Were they trying to pretend they didn’t know? I found that strange, but I didn’t bother pressing the issue.
Somehow...
[■ Hero’s Super-sensory (S)]
It felt like I shouldn’t.
“We’ll arrive shortly.”
The knight in the front spoke.
At that, I looked ahead slightly, and sure enough, a large building came into view in the distance.
So there it is.
The Seoul branch of the Korea Hunter Association.
Or rather, the place called headquarters.
...Wow.
It was my first time there. It was the kind of place you couldn’t just go to unless you had a reason.
And now I was actually going there.
The place I’d wanted to visit so badly.
As I stared at it in amazement, the car rolled straight through the Association’s main gate.
Click, click—! Camera shutters started snapping. Looking around, I saw reporters packed tightly all over the place.
Only then did it start to feel a little overwhelming.
“Please get out here.”
Jeon Yuseon said. The car had already arrived. I opened the door and stepped out, following the guide into a small waiting room.
“Soon, the chairman will mention you, Jinwoo-ssi. When that happens, please come out through that entrance.”
A door inside the waiting room came into view. I nodded at Jeon Yuseon’s explanation.
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
“Then.”
Jeon Yuseon nodded and moved off, and from the speaker mounted on the wall came a familiar voice.
— In this Yeouido terror incident—
It was Chairman Baek Hyeonho’s voice. He must already have been standing at the podium, speaking. Before long, a fairly standard introduction flowed out in short order.
— When even the Association could not properly exert its strength, there was someone who risked his life in the midst of danger and saved the citizens.
I felt it. It was time to go.
— That is the reason this place was made. Now, please give a resounding round of applause and your support to Yeouido’s young hero...!
“Now.”
At the employee’s cue, I stepped out through the door.
“I am the superhuman Lee Jinwoo.”
Click-click-click—!
Just as before, camera shutters and an ear-splitting wave of applause hit me all at once. Cutting through the noise, I stopped in front of Baek Hyeonho.
“Thank you very much for protecting the citizens.”
“...It was nothing.”
I received the certificate first. As I took it, Baek Hyeonho came up beside me with a microphone in hand.
“And with that.”
As he continued, the applause that had been rolling through the room gradually faded.
“Myself included, everyone in the Association has deeply realized the seriousness of this incident.”
His expression became grave.
“As many of you have criticized, the current Association lacks in many areas. That is why, in this place, I wish to take the opportunity to bring about a new change.”
His face, which had been smiling only moments ago, now held a steadfast look as the chairman wrapped his large hand over my shoulder and went on.
“At this time and place, I hereby announce the creation of a new knight order.”
The instant he said it, the murmuring died down.
...A new knight order?
It was the first I’d heard of it too. A new knight order? I’d never even heard of such a thing.
“This order will not be responsible for gate danger and domestic security. It will focus solely on anti-terror operations. It will be created to confront the terrorists of the present day. And...”
Tap, tap.
Baek Hyeonho patted my shoulder.
“We intend to appoint Lee Jinwoo, the superhuman hero of Yeouido, as a knight and place him within the order.”
At his words, the hushed whispers broke out again.
“A knight?”
“A superhuman who hasn’t even taken the exam, as a knight...?”
“A new knight order, too?”
“An anti-terror unit? This is...”
The guests and the reporters began talking over one another. The reaction wasn’t exactly good.
Then—
“Also.”
Baek Hyeonho cut off the noise again with a booming voice.
“I have also brought the person who will serve as the captain of this new knight order.”
Captain.
The one who would bear responsibility for the knight order.
“The person who will take on the heavy duty of anti-terror operations and work with Lee Jinwoo-ssi to restore peace is...”
Click.
My Hero’s Super-sensory caught something.
I heard the distant sound of footsteps, the click of shoes against the floor.
Huh.
The hairs on my body stood on end. I knew this feeling. I’d felt it before.
No way?
My gaze turned toward the direction of the footsteps.
“She came all the way from a distant foreign land, and honorably answered Korea’s need.”
Baek Hyeonho spoke.
“A current SS-class superhuman, and a superhuman known as the symbol of the United States.”
At last, brilliant blond hair appeared at the entrance. Her expression was blank, but then, for just a moment, I saw the corners of her mouth lift ever so slightly.
Hale Irene withdrew her gaze and looked over the gathered crowd.
Every single mouth in the room fell open.
Baek Hyeonho, as though he had foreseen this reaction, smiled faintly as he introduced her.
“Hale Irene.”
And with that brief silence left behind,
click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click—!
The insane burst of camera shutters filled the space.